IBM's Watson makes a move into self-driving cars with Olli, a minibus from Local Motors

IBM today took the wraps off its first big foray into the world of self-driving cars, not as the driver of them, but as the brain behind making your self-driving journey a little more interesting. IBM Watson, the company's AI platform, is powering services in Olli -- an electric-powered vehicle that can carry up to 12 people designed by Local Motors, a car maker based out of Arizona that uses newer technologies like 3D printing to bring down the cost of making cars on a low-volume basis. The cars will start operations first in Washington, DC, before expanding to deployments in Miami-Dade County and Las Vegas later this year. IBM says Miami-Dade County will run a pilot to transport people around Miami using these autonomous vehicles. Local Motors and IBM, along with Intel, have worked together before, specifically on its Rally Fighter concept car.